Maelok Otherys
Maelok Otherys Maelok Otherys is current Sealord of Braavos. He was named to the position in 274AC following the discrediting of his competitors Biography Birth & Early Childhood Born to the famed Merchant Lord Vaelon Otherys, and the then Black Pearl, Maela Otherys, Maelok and his older brother Maelor were the product of careful planning between the two branches of the relatively new noble house. He was a means to give keyholdership to both sides of House Otherys, and little else was planned for the boys birth. But the head of the household, Balerion Otherys, was quick to find a place for his grandson. Maelok was to be the next head of the House, while his more militarily minded brother was to be the captain of its trade fleet. As quickly as he learned to speak, he was instilled with the ‘virtues’ of the house - the family over all, by any means. Not long after his birth, his mother gave the young child a dog, serving as a companion in her stead. The two bonded near-immediately, and his passing affected the young lord deeply. This first companion would be one of many, and would be the start of an obsession for the man, seeing the keeping of beasts as a noble pursuit to keep a man’s mind of the rigors of stately affairs. In preparation for his eventual inheritance of the Household, one thing was drilled into the head of little Maelok - Knowledge is the greatest currency of all, and that justification comes easy when one's goal is to acquire it. Bribery, intimidation, blackmail, spies, and torture. All means to gain information, all skills needed to head the fresh house effectively. All means Maelok has and still uses to keep his precarious position. Household Head & Peacekeeping This mindset coupled with the skills acquired through strange and esoteric tests the aging Balerion put the young Maelok through, set the man up to not only effectively run his household, but made hims useful to the Palace of Justice. With a keen mind for secrets, and mind for security for his family and city, Maelok was seen as an ideal candidate for the Peacekeepers. His tenure as a Peacekeeper was what launched the now-Sealord’s political career in full, his exploits widely talked about throughout the city, even to this day. Little activity went on in the near-subjugated city of Pentos without his knowing, and many times it was through his direct action that secret meetings, smuggling rings, and slave trades were stopped in the city. Be it through directly infiltrating the rings, to massive, public searches, Maelok’s eyes were everywhere in the city, and Pentos fell in line during his ‘reign’. In making the trials of convicted nobles and key figures of Pentos public in Braavos, Maelok quickly rose up as a kind of hero to the Braavosi, at least as a key figure abroad. Accident & Cripplying It is through his duty that he is crippled. A poorly maintained section of railing gives way while inspecting a Pentoshi trade ship for slave cargo. Shards of wood imbed themselves in the man’s legs, with the wounds never fully healing, leaving him with a limp in his earlier years, and making it impossible to move without a cane in his later years. 'Becoming Sealord'For decades Maelok served as the leading Peacekeeper in Pentos, serving under many a Sealord. With time, his name spread throughout the city, becoming synonymous with safety, security, and the successful implementation of law. This was not through coincidence, with the Peacekeeper having hired bards, and handing out bribes to keep this image prevalent, even pushing it beyond and into the minds of many. It was through this that the whispers of the Peacekeeper becoming Sealord started crossing many’s lips, a prospect that interested many, and terrified many more. But as the old Sealord Andro Maris grew ill, his love of food coming around to haunt him, the debate of the next to hold the title began. While Maelok was among those considered at first, he was not first among them, a fact soon changed. Using means pooled together over years of planning, Maelok gathered and fabricated vast amounts of information on his detractors, and held the release of such the potentially harrowing, potentially damaging information above their heads. Almost overnight, the consideration of Maelok for Sealord ballooned, as as Sealord Andro passed from this world, Sealord Maelok rose in his place. The information was never released, and those who cooperated were rewarded with titles, funds, and possibly more. Now a Sealord, Maelok has yet to shirk the judicial duty the position still holds, spending more time in the Palace of Justice than the Sealord’s palace, and oddity among those of his position. His new title also affords the Sealord new room for his obsession, with an entire wing of the Sealord’s Palace dedicated to the keeping of animals. Creatures from all stretches of the globe now inhabit the wing, the most prized among them being Maelok’s mating pair of Dragonhawks. Timeline * 213 AC: Maelok is born to Vaelon and Maela Otherys * 214 AC: Maelok is given a small puppy from his mother. The two are inseparable. * 219 AC: The young head-of-the-household-to-be is taken under the wing of Balerion Otherys, the then head of the household, and begins his training to take his grandfather’s place. He learns the values of the family. * 239 AC: The older brother of Maelok, Maelor, dies at sea during a trading expedition. * 239 AC: Maelok marries his neice, Daena Otherys. * 240 AC: Valon is born, first son to Maelok and Daena. * 241 AC: Balero is born, second son to Maelok and Daena. * 243 AC: Balerion Otherys, first son of House Otherys, dies in his sleep. A funeral is held in his honor, with only those of the Household allowed to attend. * 243 AC: Maelok is made Peacekeeper, serving the Palace of Justice in Pentos. * 244 AC: Vaerona is born, only daughter of Maelok and Daena. * 255 AC: Maelok is crippled after a poorly maintained section of railing collapses under him on a Pentoshi merchant vessel, shattering both his legs, leaving one nearly-completely non-functioning. * 270 AC: With advanced age taking its toll, the Peacekeeper retires from active duty, and returns to Braavos to serve in the Palace of Justice directly. It is this year that whispers of a potential tenure as Sealord begin to make circuit. * 274 AC: With much effort and political maneuvering, Maelok is made Sealord of Braavos. * 275 AC: One of his first, and one of his unpopular acts among the more conservative Keyholders, is the ordering of the construction of a new Flagship for the Braavosi navy. A ship made near-completely out of ironwood, the price was a steep one. * 280 AC: The Sealord sails to participate in the Tyroshi Festival of Color aboard his newly constructed Flagship ‘Titan’, mainly to visit his daughter. The other flagship of the Household, ‘The Black Dread’ is sent to King’s Landing under escort to attend the foreign King’s Feast. Category:Essosi Category:Braavos